When I was on the circuit, selling my jewelry at various Festivals and such; I made friends with a great number of people. One of which I will refer to as The Amazon. She was a powerhouse. For many years The Amazon was contracted to run security at many of the festivals we attended. Strong, stalwart and True, she would go about the festival in her golf cart making sure we were safe and on the look out for those who would preform mischief. Accompanied by her faithful companion: her dog would ride shot gun as she would cruse about. Her golf cart was equipped with speakers so she could listen to music and when she was in a hurry would turn it on to Wagner’s “Flight of the Valkyries”.

One Event we were on the top of a mountain shaped like a table top for gatherings and such. Some of the attendees were a bit tired of The Amazon cruising by, telling them to pick up their trash and other directives. On a lark one of them discovered The Amazon’s Dog actually learned how to ride and steer the golf cart, and so while the Amazon was busy, one of the culprits coaxed her dog to sit in the driver’s seat, switched on Wagner’s fateful theme and off went the cart, dog and all.

I recall a small crowd of people laughing hysterically as The Amazon chased her faithful companion across the field, heading for a cliff. She did finally catch up as the cart bogged down in a ditch, however the Amazon did in turn chase about a few of the culprits who were punished with “noogies” (her sense of humor was a grand as her laugh).

In the Gathering which followed, her dog often drove about in the cart under the Amazon’s watchful eye. Each time I hear the Valkyries I still envision the flight of the Amazon, fleet of feet chasing down a golf cart toward impending doom.

For as long as people have ascribed objects with special affinity
they have harnessed the use of Talismans:
objects associated with “magic” or “special powers”.
Amulets have come in a variety of shapes and sizes:
tools, weapons even vehicles.
Among these objects,
jewelry has been the most popular of Talismans:
the Amulets.

An Amulet can be a ring or pendant made of metal,
stone, bone or other substance;
however the intrinsic value is the focus here.
In its basic Latin translation: amuletum,
the “Amulet” was to “repel trouble”;
however as society has progressed
and our needs and desires have become more sophisticated,
the use of amulets has expanded.
A common amulet used today is a wedding ring:
it represents special meanings:
love, trust and a reminder of a promise made.

From the 12th century the creation of amulets became more sophisticated:
the greater Key of Solomon
and its various seals
have expanded the purpose of the Amulet to a wide variety of uses:
bringer of rain, lucid dreaming, clarity of thought and so on.
Our history is filled with Amulets from many cultures
including Native American, Gypsy, Romanian, and Celtic;
nearly every culture has its amulets and their use.

In my own work I began with the Tarot.
Each card has a specific meaning and purpose,
reflections of how we think and respond to each other,
the fine tuning of a person’s virtue and their lessons.
I then developed the metaphors that step beyond the two dimensional image,
allowing the bearer of the amulet to focus on the idea and intent
of each of the Major Arcana.
From there I have studied and implemented a host of symbols
to provide a wide variety of Amulets for many purposes.

How do I get a piece of jewelry to work as an Amulet?

It is preferable to harness a piece of jewelry
already been targeted to work as an amulet.
The important step is to find a connection with the piece,
something that first “reminds” you of the intent.
For example,
if you wished to become pregnant(provided you have a partner that will assist you in the physical step),
you would find an amulet that would represent fertility to you.
To activate the amulet is simply developing an affinity with the piece.“This pendant makes me feel fertile”.
Touching that “place” may require some work on your part:
you need to discover that fertile part within
and connect with the amulet you are using.
A great example is found in the first book of the legendary series:The Sword of Shannara.
Towards the end of the story,
our hero finds it difficult to activate his Talisman
until he discovers the spark of truth within himself
necessary to ignite the “Magic” of the blade.
Although a book of fiction,
the principle is the plain:
to harness such things one must first find that part within one’s self
before the enhancement can take place.

Looking again to the Tarot Amulets,
each piece is designed to help one find that spark within through lore,
imagery and intent.
If one is studying the Chakras, Kundalini and Yoga,
then the Strength Amulet would be a good tool
to help one focus on one’s studies,
exercises and meditations.
It is an enhancement;
it does not take the place of real practice and study.
A lens in of itself does not create light:
it magnifies and focuses the light
giving one more control over what is already there.
With Amulets and Talismans it is not so much the object
rather it is the relationship between the person and their amulet
that makes the difference.
It is not the Wedding Ring that makes you married
it is the relationship between all parties concerned
that creates the marriage:
the rings enhance the marriage and give it a physical point of reference on which to focus;
the symbol of the eternal circle and the experience of its presentation at the ceremony.

I have created hundreds of designs;
and always creating more.
On occasion a person will need a piece that will help them accomplish a task,
focus purpose or celebrate life.
Many times he or she will produce a design providing
the necessary connection to their desired goal.
From their art
(or from a description of the design)
I then create what they would like.
To see my line of Jewelry,
sculpture and other works of art and to learn more about how your amulet can be made,
please visit my how to order custom page.

For as long as people have ascribed objects with special affinity
they have harnessed the use of Talismans:
objects associated with “magic” or “special powers”.
Amulets have come in a variety of shapes and sizes:
tools, weapons even vehicles.
Among these objects,
jewelry has been the most popular of Talismans:
the Amulets.

An Amulet can be a ring or pendant made of metal,
stone, bone or other substance;
however the intrinsic value is the focus here.
In its basic Latin translation: amuletum,
the “Amulet” was to “repel trouble”;
however as society has progressed
and our needs and desires have become more sophisticated,
the use of amulets has expanded.
A common amulet used today is a wedding ring:
it represents special meanings:
love, trust and a reminder of a promise made.

From the 12th century the creation of amulets became more sophisticated:
the greater Key of Solomon
and its various seals
have expanded the purpose of the Amulet to a wide variety of uses:
bringer of rain, lucid dreaming, clarity of thought and so on.
Our history is filled with Amulets from many cultures
including Native American, Gypsy, Romanian, and Celtic;
nearly every culture has its amulets and their use.

In my own work I began with the Tarot.
Each card has a specific meaning and purpose,
reflections of how we think and respond to each other,
the fine tuning of a person’s virtue and their lessons.
I then developed the metaphors that step beyond the two dimensional image,
allowing the bearer of the amulet to focus on the idea and intent
of each of the Major Arcana.
From there I have studied and implemented a host of symbols
to provide a wide variety of Amulets for many purposes.

How do I get a piece of jewelry to work as an Amulet?

It is preferable to harness a piece of jewelry
has already been targeted to work as an amulet.
The important step is to find a connection with the piece,
something that first “reminds” you of the intent.
For example,
if you wished to become pregnant(provided you have a partner that will assist you in the physical step),
you would find an amulet that would represent fertility to you.
To activate the amulet is simply developing an affinity with the piece.“This pendant makes me feel fertile”.
Touching that “place” may require some work on your part:
you need to discover that fertile part within
and connect with the amulet you are using.
A great example is found in the first book of the legendary series:The Sword of Shannara.
Towards the end of the story,
our hero finds it difficult to activate his Talisman
until he discovers the spark of truth within himself
necessary to ignite the “Magic” of the blade.
Although a book of fiction,
the principle is the plain:
to harness such things one must first find that part within one’s self
before the enhancement can take place.

Looking again to the Tarot Amulets,
each piece is designed to help one find that spark within through lore,
imagery and intent.
If one is studying the Chakras, Kundalini and Yoga,
then the Strength Amulet would be a good tool
to help one focus on one’s studies,
exercises and meditations.
It is an enhancement;
it does not take the place of real practice and study.
A lens in of itself does not create light:
it magnifies and focuses the light
giving one more control over what is already there.
With Amulets and Talismans it is not so much the object
rather it is the relationship between the person and their amulet
that makes the difference.
It is not the Wedding Ring that makes you married
it is the relationship between all parties concerned
that creates the marriage:
the rings enhance the marriage and give it a physical point of reference to focus on;
the symbol of the eternal circle and the experience of its presentation at the ceremony.

I have created hundreds of designs;
and always creating more.
On occasion a person will need a piece that will help them accomplish a task,
focus purpose or celebrate life.
Many times he or she will produce a design providing
the necessary connection to their desired goal.
From their art
(or from a description of the design)
I then create what they would like.
To see my line of Jewelry,
sculpture and other works of art and to learn more about how your amulet can be made,
please visit my how to order custom page.

Some years ago I was a volunteer in the local school for my Stepdaughter Amber. The program we worked on was Odyssey of the Mind, a very interesting Group to say the least. We assembled “teams” which worked on various projects like building robots, word games and other projects. In the curriculum were various steps to be able to complete projects. One of them was learning the art of Visualization.

I live in Newport News, Virginia. As you may already know, school districts are run by a School board of local parents and other “interest groups”. In this area the Fundamentalist Christian community is very powerful and resists anything that even hints at something non-Christian (in their view). When I volunteered I thought there would be no real problem. Though I am of a rather small religious community (Pagan), my Ethic is strongly based in my background: raised by a Presbyterian Minister, I learned Christian values from my earliest years. To this day I still practice respect for other people’s views, ethics and choices.

Althea B. McLaren taught me what it is to be an Artist: from being able to perceive the world, to interpreting it through an “artist’s eye”. Again, I was taught this from my earliest years and it has become second nature.

When working with the kids in Amber’s school, one of the basic steps outlined in the Odyssey of the mind’s curriculum was to visualize various things: from beginning to end it was “required” to visualize the basic steps of a given project including the final result.

Imagine my shock as the Teacher involved told me:

“You are not allowed to speak about Visualization to the children, it would lead to Satanism and the School board forbids it.”

Please remember this was in the 1990s, not the 1590s.

Saying such a thing to a Professional Artist is akin to Blasphemy. It was as if a solid wall was placed between our project’s concept and it’s conclusion. Hobbling the children in this way caused me to second guess what we could do vs what we should do. Needless to say our “team” did not come in first in the district.

This was a tipping point for me. I was able to understand the basic problem with local education. Compounded with restrictions such as cutting music and education down to it’s most basic forms, a severe dress code, -even a ban on “hopping” at dances,: all of these instances and more only provided ingredients of an educational system that was not to educate at all, but to hobble the minds of the students. When the results are obvious, the parents blamed the teachers, the teachers blamed the students when in fact the real problem is with the School board: the heinous crime of distorting people in childhood who later grow into malformed adults.

And so, for those of you who have suffered from similar abuse, allow me to encourage you to begin a daily practice of Visualization.

First start with the basics:

Spend a little time each day on a break, a quiet moment to yourself, Imagine sitting on a beach, in a meadow or another favorite place. Try to recall everything you like about the place: the movement of the air, the smell, the light, the sound. Relax into the process and enjoy (it should be a fun thing for you to do). If you have problems, go the the place and observe every detail, recall the place and surround yourself with it.

Once you practice a little bit, start adding things to the scene, things you enjoy. Try to avoid visualizing things which are harmful, for Thoughts are indeed Things, and you are hurting yourself. Should troubling images arise, banish them with a nix sign, say “NO” out loud, or leave the vicinity. Be gentle with yourself.

If you are an adult, this may become difficult for you because you are out of practice. By doing this each day, even if for only five minutes, you will begin to develop these “muscles” in your mind and it will become easier. Later when you are doing a task you will find it easier to visualize various problems and develop solutions. Give yourself time.